Friday, March 20, 2009

The Rape of a City

Congratulations to Trenton's mayor Doug Palmer for his new salary of $149,000+, which is approximately $118,000 more than what his average constituent makes! That's right, the average citizen of Trenton makes just over $31,000 a year! Talk about getting blood from a stone! Doug is an old pro! Woot-Woot!

In 2006, Newark's Mayor Cory Booker was making just under $131,000 a year, and he's running the state's largest city. His city is home to over 280,000 people — 200,000 more than the population of Trenton. Boy, Booker needs to pay closer attention to Doug Palmer! Here, each of us antes up $1.80 for Palmer's annual salary, and in Newark, each resident kicks in 46¢ to pay for their mayor. The median income is $26,748 in Newark, so while Booker's salary may seem like a bargain, we need to consider this: Booker actually lives in his city, and really, what mayor does THAT anymore? Who wants their mayor so damn close, watching and meddling in everything? You get what you pay for, right??

Mayor Palmer is even making buckets more money in salary than NJ Governor Corzine. New Jersey state law allows for a maximum salary of $175,000 for our governor, but Corzine accepts a token salary of $1 a year. Doug knows the score: you CAN get rich as a public servant!

Be sure to stop by Mayor Monitor to let that evaluation team know how awesomely savvy Mayor Palmer is for his ability to turn poverty into profit for himself!

Deputy Clean: great point. Still, I can't blame the victim. If you leave your door unlocked, it's stupid -- or forgetful, if you want to put a less negative spin on it -- but the dude who walks in and empties it of your valuables is still a thief, right? And a dick.